With reports of anti-cancer drugs being replaced by counterfeit products, the government may soon make it mandatory for quick response, or QR codes, to be attached to every vial and strip of medication marketed in India, to ensure a rigorous track and trace mechanism. This was proposed at a recent meeting of the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) meeting, according to its minutes. The Board was apprised that unscrupulous criminals, in collusion with hospital pharmacies, were found refilling empty vials of expensive anti-cancer medicines with counterfeit drugs.
“These fake drugs were then mixed with genuine stocks and sold to unsuspecting cancer patients, putting their life at risk,’’ the Board meeting’s minutes noted. A course of chemotherapy in India typically costs between ₹1 lakh and ₹4 lakh, depending on the drugs used. Radiation therapy can cost around ₹1 lakh to ₹3 lakh.
A combination of cancer treatments is sometimes required to obtain better results. Preventing counterfeits Based on this input, the Union government is now working to bring in a mandatory quick response and rigorous track and trace mechanism to prevent counterfeits and validate the authenticity of anti-cancer medicines. The DTAB is a committee that advises the Indian government on technical matters related to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
The Board is part of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in the Health Ministry. At the DTAB meeting, it was proposed that Schedu.
